DNA Magazine
DNA is a literary micro magazine devoted to flash pieces of life writing. Flash writing is an umbrella term that describes works of creative writing which are brief and concise in nature, with word counts below 1,000 words. The concise nature of the writing is perfect for modern life where time is precious and competition for our attention is more closely contested than the US presidential elections.
The magazine will provide students from Bath Spa University and writers from the local area with a platform to share their work. Whilst there are many literary journals for fiction and prose, it is harder to find magazines interested in creative non-fiction. I aim to work alongside local businesses to distribute the print edition around Bath whilE providing a digital copy of magazine which can be downloaded.
Our Story
Last summer it was Brexit, this winter it’s Donald Trump and all the newspaper headlines just get uglier and uglier. My Twitter and Facebook feeds are full of government policies that scare not only me, but a lot of other people too. Government policy seems to favour big business and those with pockets deep enough to fund political ambition. The voice of the individual is drowned out by angry news articles. People are grouped together and stereotyped, often negatively. Empathy for each other seems to be disappearing behind waves of discrimination and hate.
My aim for DNA magazine is to provide relief from the divisive messages that are constantly being reported in the media. Instead of dehumanising groups of people by stripping away their individual stories, the magazine is a platform for these unique narratives to be celebrated. At times like this, I believe that it’s even more important that to remind ourselves about the shared experiences that make us all human.
What is life writing?
Life writing is a term that is as broad and complex as the Tree of Life. Biographical and memoir writing are probably the most obvious form of this writing but letters, diaries, journals – both written and in documentary form, eyewitness accounts and oral histories also fall into this category. And it’s not just human life either – life writing can document the ‘lives’ of objects and organisations, families and groups. It can cover everything from a complete life story to a more instant day-in-the-life narrative and has become essential to our understanding of key moments in human history.
who am I?
I’m Katie Marsden, a third-year Creative Writing/Publishing student with a passion for telling the right stories to the best audience. I’m currently working as the production editor on Bath Spa’s own Milk Magazine and have previously worked as a contributor, art director and picture editor for other magazines and zines as part of my Publishing modules.
Where will your money go?
The first issue of the magazine is going to be used to allow me to test the level of interest within the Bath & North East Somerset area. Ideally, I would like to raise enough money to print at least 100 copies of the magazine to distribute for sale from local independent stores and charity shops. Any extra money raised on top of this will go towards planning a launch event for the magazine to raise awareness of it, both on campus and in Bath city centre, promoted using social media and posters.
The minimum amount needed to print the magazine would be £150.
Breakdown of costs:
- Magazine Print Costs (for 100 copies): £150 (including VAT and delivery)
- Website Domain: £15
- Venue Hire: £200
- Refreshments for Launch Event: £50
- Promotion (Posters and Social Media Costs): £75
Rewards
We have some great rewards on offer to thank everyone who donates, whatever the amount you might give. Please check them out.
Find us around the internet
Please visit our website which contains exclusive content and the chance for you to submit a piece to the website and/or print edition.
You can also keep up to date with this fundraising campaign, and find out how we’re doing on Twitter and Facebook .
Help us succeed!
Any support that you can offer this project to help me complete it would be greatly appreciated. But money isn’t everything and if you can’t donate, don’t worry. You can still help make a difference with by sharing it on social media, following our progress and even reading the magazine when it's finished.
Inspiration
‘It’s a human need to be told stories. The more we’re governed by idiots and have no control over our destinies, the more we need to tell stories to each other about who we are, why we are, where we come from, and what might be possible.’ Alan Rickman (2008)
